MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's field hockey team dropped a tough 3-2 result to perennial Atlantic 10 power Massachusetts on Friday afternoon at Ellen Ryan Field.  Senior Jordan Martin gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead early in the second half, but the Minutewomen scored a pair of unanswered goals to leave with the win.

“Give credit to UMass; they are a tactically strong and skilled team,” Saint Joseph's head coach Lynn Farquhar said after the game.  “To be able to compete against a team like that is always fun.”

Massachusetts (6-7 overall, 4-1 Atlantic 10) jumped out to a quick lead as Nicole Miller tallied her fourth goal of the season on a rebound just 3:18 into the game.

Saint Joseph's (6-7 overall, 2-3 Atlantic 10) settled in and earned a penalty corner nine minutes later, and freshman Melissa Herd unleashed a blast into the cage off a feed from sophomores Katja Hansen and Nadia de Vries to tie the game at a goal apiece.

Martin put the Hawks ahead with 28:05 to play in the game when she sent a ball toward the cage that deflected over UMass keeper Sam Carlino to give SJU a 2-1 advantage.

The Minutewomen answered right away as Sarah Hawkshaw notched her fourth of the year on a pass from Melanie Kreusch to equalize with 24:15 to go.  Nine minutes later, Hailey Cockrum tallied her third of the year on an airborne pass from Izzie Delario to put UMass ahead to stay.

Carlino made one save in the win, while sophomore Amelia Deibler made five for the Hawks.

“We've grown a lot,” Farquhar said of her team's progress thus far this season.  “It was really great to see our player groups start to connect and come together.  With all of their hard work, they're actually starting to see the payoff now, which is really exciting to watch.

“For us, growing our mentality, our attention to detail, and our circle play is where we need some growth,” she continued.  “It doesn't happen overnight.  It was a fun, well-played game against good competition, and we're proud of what they've done so far.”

The Hawks will now step out of Atlantic 10 play for a contest at Georgetown on Sunday.  The game is slated for noon at the Hoyas' Multi-Sport Field.